The two luxury brands collaborate for one last time.
On February 15, 2011, rally champion Juha Kankkunen set a new ice speed record, when his Bentley Continental Supersports convertible reached 330.695 km/h on the frozen surface of the Baltic Sea off the Finnish coast.
The watch that the four-time world rally champ was sporting on his wrist at the time was the Breitling for Bentley Supersports Light Body, and there was another Breitling timepiece on his dashboard, which all Continental models have had since 2002.
The trademark Breitling Yellow and patterns representing the L-39 Albatros jets flown by the Breitling Jet Team have been used to decorate the interior of the Continental GT Speed Breitling Jet Team Series by Mulliner since 2015. These cars were manufactured in a limited edition of just seven.
The Bentley Le Mans chronograph was unveiled in 2003 when Breitling partnered with Bentley for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Continental GT3 was honored with the limited edition Bentley GT3 in a black titanium case with a carbon fiber dial.
The Bentley Centenary Limited Edition model had a dial made of "burl elm" — the same material used to make the wooden dashboard in the 1929 “Blower” Bentley.
There was the glittering Breitling for Bentley Flying B in its diamond-encrusted case, and the Premier B01 Chronograph 42 with its British racing green dial. Then there was the Breitling Flying B jumping hour wristwatch with its regulator-style dial, and the Breitling Bentley Barnato Racing Chronograph with counters reminiscent of the steering wheels in the early Bentley models that won the Le Mans 24 Hours race.
There are many vivid chapters in Breitling and Bentley's shared history, but it looks like the companies have written the final chapter in their collaborative story this year. A partnership which began in 2002 with the onboard clocks fitted in the first Bentley Continental GTs now draws to a close as the last Premier B21 Chronograph Tourbillon 42 Bentley Limited Edition in the series leaves Breitling's manufacture.
The watch was unveiled in April this year. The limited edition release of 25 chronometers equipped with the COSC-certified Manufacture Caliber B21 marked the final chapter of the nineteen-year partnership. The watch case is made of 18-karat red gold. It frames the green dial with the tourbillon positioned at 12 o'clock as its main attraction.